Aversive Stimulus
by keroRiBBIT
Summary: She would later deny the chill that came down her spine when she heard the baritone of his laughter. Deep, low, and velvety. Delicious. It made a warmth of a different kind settle on her abdomen and she almost regretted turning him down. Well, almost.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: **__Omg here it is! As promised. Hope you all enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 1

_My heart is aching for something and I don't know what. Purpose, maybe? Honor? Family? Love? Maybe even all? All I know is that I feel empty and lost. I'm just going through the motions of everyday; sometimes I can't even remember what I did the whole day, and try as I might, I can't recall anything at all. _

_Sometimes, I even forget how old I am. When someone asks, I have to check the calendar and actually count the years I've been alive. _

_Most of the time, the number feels unreal and I'm always at a loss._

* * *

Tenten was staring at the blank document in silence, fingers hovering over the keyboard yet nothing was being written down.

"Miss?"

She blinked. God, what day is it today again?

She glanced at the bottom right corner of her screen, the date imprinting itself inside her mind.

_January 19, 2018. _

Yes, of course. New Years was just two weeks ago, where she drank herself to a stupor in the privacy of her spacious loft apartment. Tenten mentally beat herself up for forgetting.

A small movement caught itself in the corner of her vision. She raised her eyes to see the striking orange pigtails of her secretary, Moegi, her hand raised and waving in an effort to get noticed.

Tenten blinked at her, once, and asked, "Yes?"

She noticed how her secretary bit her lip in apprehension before saying, "Its past down time now, Miss Tenten."

Tenten cocked her head to the side, spying the clock just past Moegi's head. Correction: it was thirty minutes past down time, Tenten thought to herself.

"It appears so," said Tenten, nodding. Closing the word document and shutting off her laptop, she told Moegi, "You shouldn't have waited for me, you know."

When she saw her secretary flush and open her mouth to retort, Tenten beat her to it.

"You can slack off once in a while. I don't mind and I certainly won't tell." She gave a small smile, placing her laptop in her bag and zipping it shut.

She straightened her back and rolled her neck, after which, she finally faced the young woman, whose mouth was agape and a loss for words, prompting a chuckle from her lips.

The sound must've set the gears in her head working again as Moegi frantically shook her head, a blush on her face.

But her voice was firm and just the right amount of rebuking when she said, "I'm under orders from the Big Man himself to kick you out of the office if you're still here thirty minutes past five."

"Here I thought that I was your direct supervisor, and that you must only take orders from me," Tenten sighed theatrically as she opened her office door. She gestured for her secretary to go first before going out herself and locking the door behind her.

When she turned around, Moegi already had her bag in hand and her cubicle lights off and she was giving her a sheepish smile.

"Sorry boss, but you're not exactly the one giving my paycheck."

Tenten rolled her eyes and waved her off mumbling, "Technicalities."

Bags on hand and ready to go, both women started towards the elevator whilst going over their schedule come Monday.

Her workplace only covered eight floors of the building, with each floor having a single department head. In her drudgery, the department head of this floor was herself. Not that it was a bad thing, per se. On the contrary, the work atmosphere's good, the benefits were good and the pay was _great_. It's just that, the way the floors were designed, the department head's office is always the farthest from the elevator, in such a way that she will have to pass by everyone in her floor to and fro her office.

Normally, she was fine with it. She loved talking with her colleagues and taking part with the occasional coffee break gossip. Only with the few who were brave enough to do so with their boss, of course.

But now, she wanted to be left alone more often than not, and she sometimes dreaded the walk between her office and the elevator. The past few weeks had left her feeling a bit down.

So much so that the head honcho of the company gave specific orders to not let herself be overworked. The thought almost made her scowl, if not for the few stragglers remaining to finish up their work giving their farewells, she would have. She gave them nods, a few smiles and empty threats of _this better not be an everyday thing_, instead.

_Gods, she needed a drink._

"Are you going straight home, Miss Ten?"

_I'm going to drink myself silly. At a bar this time. Drinking at home is not worth the mess it makes._

It took a while before Moegi's words registered and Tenten shook her head slightly at her inattentiveness. They were already outside the building.

"Yeah, I need to clean some stuff out before dinner." The lie easily left her lips and Tenten chose not to dwell on it. "You?"

The goofy smile and the subsequent flush prompted a raised eyebrow.

"I got a date today, remember?" She beamed.

Tenten wanted to face palm. How could she forget? Her secretary had squealed so much that Tenten nearly threw her office doors out of its hinges when the man in question asked her out over the phone.

A stern glare and a brief reprimand about office hours not being the time for personal matters resulted after the congratulations.

"Right, right." Really, she should be more heedful of others' affairs. "With the video-game maker, right?"

"Programmer, and yes!" Moegi squealed again and Tenten almost cringed, but gave a supportive smile instead.

"Well, the bus that will take you out of here is about to leave soon so I suggest you hurry home and prepare then."

Moegi hissed a curse and ran towards the bus stop just a scant few meters off from the building. After successfully boarding, Tenten could see her through the window, standing and waving goodbye. She gave a small smile and a raised hand back.

When the bus was out of sight, Tenten's mood turned somber.

Yes. A drink sounded good.

* * *

When she arrived at the classy pub, it was only about nine in the evening. She had dropped her work things at home and took a shower, ate dinner on the way, taking only some few essentials in a small shoulder bag.

She wasn't an alcoholic. The only time she ever really drank was during her college days, and even then it was mostly due to peer pressure and an aching need to feel less awkward around other people in parties. It didn't have its designated effect, seeing as rather than making her more outgoing, it did nothing but heighten her alcohol tolerance.

She really wasn't, up to present, a socialite. She had trouble connecting with other people, and thus she had little in way of friends. But the alcohol helps. Most of the time.

At present though, she was way beyond her collegiate self, and has accepted the fact that she was, and forever will be, awkward and introverted. She had always functioned well enough on her own, and despite the pangs of loneliness at times, she was fine with it. Be that as it may, it didn't explain the glass of vodka she was nursing and the imprint her ass was making on the bar stool two hours after her arrival.

Tonight, similar to the one she had two weeks ago, the alcohol was there to numb. To make her forget.

_I never hear from you these days, but I'm doing fine._

Tenten closed her eyes as the words flashed through her mind in black ink and she downed the remaining liquid in her glass, savoring the burn it made down her throat and the warmth that settled on her stomach.

Raucous cheers were made by a group near the back of the pub and the clinking of glass echoed noisily above the idle chatter of the pub's regular patrons. Honestly, the reason why she chose this place despite its rather pricy menu was _because_ the college crowd could _not_ otherwise _afford it_.

Breaking away from her thoughts, she focused her glower on the noisy group. There were about six to eight people clustered together, and judging their choice of corporate suits, not college students at all despite her initial misgivings.

One would think that people who looked to be in their late twenties and early thirties would be more discreet in their affairs. The group was still focused in their merriment, and from what Tenten could glean from the fervent pat on the backs and nudging elbows, they were congratulating a particular person whose back was turned towards her, letting her unable to see that person's face. She noted the long hair though.

With a last glare, she turned to her empty glass again, debating whether or not to order another glass of vodka. Or a shot of tequila.

_How are you? I hope you're doing well. I heard from–_

"Excuse me? Another round please? Thank you." The sound of glass hitting hard wood broke her reverie and Tenten snapped her head towards the man with a baritone voice.

It took her a second to realize that it was the same man that was being congratulated by the noisy group. The man with the long hair.

"Lost that round, did you?" The bartender quipped whilst taking the empty tankards and preparing new ones to be filled.

"Yeah," the long haired man confirmed. "I was never really good at making bets."

The bartender chuckled but did not reply. The man sat on the bar stool, back on the counter and facing the room. He didn't seem upset, seemingly undeterred by the fact that he, as mentioned, lost a bet and had to pay for a rather expensive round of beer.

As a matter of fact, he seemed rather at ease, something Tenten envied. She noted the aristocratic nose, the high cheekbones. His suit seemed to be tailored with how it fabulously fits his sinewy build.

Suddenly conscious of the fact that she was_ unabashedly checking someone out, _she lifted her gaze and made the mistake of looking at his eyes, a shockingly pale lavender color, _which had locked on her own_.

She felt heat crawling up her face at being caught staring, and she spied an arrogant smirk forming on his. And thus, when faced in an awkward situation with a, _conceited_ she thought, stranger, Tenten scowled, faced her empty glass again, and ignored him.

Or she tried to at least. The thing about being embarrassed was that no matter how much you wanted the floor to swallow you whole, it won't.

The particular thing about _Tenten_ being embarrassed was that she became hyperaware of her surroundings, making her more embarrassed. She just wanted to drink her sorrows away, damn it.

From the corner of her eye, Tenten could see him shift on the stool, facing the counter instead. She duly noted that only one stool separated them.

In resignation, she raised a hand for the other bartender, the one who kept track of her drinks and not the one who was refilling the tankards. "Tequila, please."

She could see him observe her but paid him no heed. The hesitance of the bartender with her order taking her attention and a frown was forming on her lips.

"Are you sure Miss? You already had a lot to drink since you came," the bartender seemed genuinely concerned, her red brows furrowed, and it was only then that Tenten noticed the dark skinned woman had such piercing gold eyes. Pinning the observation for later, her mind was resolute and quickly losing its haze. She was sobering up, she mentally cursed.

"Yes, I'm sure." Her answer was terse and, a little, rude. Tenten took a deep breath and offered the woman a weak smile, "Besides, I'll be leaving soon. It will be my last."

The bartender stared at her warily before acquiescing to her request. Soon enough, her glass was taken away and was replaced by a shot of the golden brown liquid.

With a sigh, chin on her palm and elbow on the counter, Tenten swirled the liquid in the glass in her other hand, staring as if in a trance.

_We missed you during New Year. Well, at least I did. _

She had received the letter two weeks ago, it still lay opened on her coffee table. She had taken to reading it every night, that when she closes her eyes she could see his penmanship on the starch white paper.

Before she delved into it further, tequila soon found its way burning down her throat and she relished in it. Nope. Not an alcoholic at all.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

She nearly slipped out of her stool in shock. Her bag, formerly situated on the stool on her left, was not as lucky as she accidentally knocked it off its seat, spilling its minimal contents on the floor.

Muttering a curse, Tenten reached down to pick up her things only for her vision to sway and her knees to buckle. She tried to frantically reach for something to hold on to when the man with the long hair grabbed her by the upper arm and steadied her, guiding her to her seat.

Maybe the bartender was right. She _had_ a lot to drink.

Cupping her face to keep the swaying at bay, she groaned into her hands.

A tall glass of water was shoved under her and when she looked up, the chocolate-skinned bartender gave her a sardonic smile before attending to other customers. Begrudgingly, she took a sip.

"How are you feeling?" asked the long haired man but Tenten merely waved him off as she took another sip.

"Fine, just fine. Thank you for your assistance," she said, not looking at him. He had scooped up her belongings and had placed the on the counter top in front of her.

"Pleasure," was his only reply. He was a lot closer to her now, occupying the stool that once separated them. His body was angled towards her, but he was still facing the counter. Tenten blinked at the progression.

When it became clear that he was neither going to move or say anything else, Tenten nearly barked at him, "Are you waiting for something?"

He turned his face towards her, his surprise only revealed by his sudden blink.

"Actually," his eyes darted around the bar. "My refills _are _taking an awful lot of time," he said, as if just remembering what he was actually there for.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that," the chocolate-skinned bartender said from where she was polishing glasswares at the end of the bar. "Beer tank went dry, the other guy had to refill it."

"It'll be quick, please wait for a while," she said, placing the cocktail glass she was polishing down.

She made eye contact with Tenten, to her surprise. The bartender was saying something with her eyes when she glanced pointedly at the man beside her.

_Is he bothering you? _She seemed to ask.

Tenten risked a glance towards the man. He was no longer looking at her but at the kitchen door to where the other bartender seemed to have disappeared to.

She looked at the woman again, communicating with her eyes.

_No, he's not. _She conveyed. _At least, not yet, _she added as an afterthought.

The bartender appeared to have understood as she gave a nod. An unspoken promise of coming to her aid, should the need arises, was made.

She looked at the man beside her again, he was looking at his wrist watch when he noticed her attention on him.

He gave a small quirk of his lips, looking almost polite.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He repeated his earlier question.

Feeling as if she owed him at least a response, Tenten merely shrugged her shoulders.

"Nothing much."

"Didn't seem like it," he was quick to reply. Tenten raised an eyebrow at him.

"You downed that shot of tequila like there was no tomorrow. I assumed you were otherwise had something troubling your mind," he explained.

Tenten said nothing.

"Would talking about it feel cathartic?"

"Are you a therapist?" she shot back.

A look had passed over him. "No," he said. The arrogant smirk he had earlier came back full force.

"But I can, if you want me to be."

Tenten gave a deep sigh and fully turned towards the counter, preparing to leave the place, but the man still didn't seem intent on leaving her be as he placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to offend you," he said.

She glared at him in response, and shrugged off his hand on her shoulder. He raised both hands in surrender.

"You looked as if you needed cheering up and I may have gone the wrong way about it. Again, I'm sorry. I'm not exactly the most adept at comforting people."

"Oh so being an asshole is actually part of your personality?" It was difficult to mistake the sarcasm in her tone. It made him chuckle, nonetheless.

"Fine, I deserved that. Anything else?" he was looking at her like he was enjoying himself.

"Personal space isn't also a thing with you, is it?" Tenten gestured to the lack of space between them as he was leaning towards her, and she was slightly leaning away from him. He actually looked surprised at that, if slightly raised eyebrows were looks of surprise, and leaned back on his stool, restoring the minimum foot of distance between the two stools. Tenten found that she could finally breathe easier now.

"Point taken. Again, apologies," he said with a small, almost polite, smile.

Tenten tilted her head, trying to examine him fully at this new angle. He seemed amused, to say the least, but she was unbothered enough to say: "You know, you actually look like a decent human being in this angle."

Almost like it was a trigger, the man leaned towards her again, close enough that she could smell the tanginess of alcohol and cologne on him. "Am I now?"

With a scowl, Tenten leaned back while pushing him away by his shoulder.

She fished for the click pen she always kept inside her bag, all the while ignoring his raised eyebrows and his little smirk that showed just how _interesting_ he thought the whole thing was.

In a matter of seconds, she had the pen in hand, pressed the top so that the ball point shot out of the tip with a decisive _click_.

Amused, Neji shifted ever closer to her on the bar stool where she sat. Their shoulders brushed and she gave him a pointed look, strategically moving her body _away_ from him and instead, she directly faced him and his leaning form.

He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes at him, reaching for an unused napkin and placing it between them on the bar's counter top.

Pen in hand, she drew something on the unused tissue.

"See this?" She said, looking up from her work and eyeing him for his -minimal- reaction.

"Is it not a circle?" He asked, sarcasm dripping off his tongue and arrogance in the tilt of his chin. She refrained the urge to release a sharp breath and instead turned again to her make-shift paper.

"That," she looked at him pointedly, "is my bubble," she said. Without looking at him, she drew another circle, the sides overlapping the first circle, making a nearly perfect Venn diagram.

"That's your bubble," her eyes found his and she was surprised with how close they were, leaning over the small piece of paper.

"And I take it that this moderately sized oval in the middle is where our common interests lie?" He said, placing an arm on the counter, his hand landing mere centimeters from her own. She refused to budge. Nonetheless, a short laugh came out of her mouth and she rolled her eyes again.

"Very funny," she said. She had the pen touch paper and proceeded to shade out the area where their supposed 'common interests' lay.

With another decisive _click_, the pen was closed and kept inside her bag.

"Okay, recap."

She gestured towards the first circle, "My bubble."

Pointing at the second circle, "Your bubble," she said.

"Hn."

She ignored his smirk and instead, tapped the shaded area with the tip of a manicured nail.

"And this here," she gave him a sickeningly sweet smile, "is the black hole you'd get sucked into if you ever traverse past my bubble."

She would later deny the chill that came down her spine when she heard the baritone of his laughter. Deep, low, and velvety. Delicious. It made a warmth of a different kind settle on her abdomen and she almost regretted turning him down.

Well, _almost_.

"Are you serious?" He asked, his face composed and she would've thought she had imagine the moment prior if not for the sly mischief that's unconcealable in his eyes.

"Quite," she said, voice even but her expression was haughty as she regarded him with a raised eyebrow, challenging him.

He smirked at her in return and her gaze was anchored to his lips where his tongue traced the flesh, making it glisten.

He reached for her hand on the table, placing his hand on top of hers.

She looked him in the eye and stared _hard_.

His smirk did not break at all.

_How insufferable._

Was it just her or he's closer than before?

Tenten for sure didn't know, she was too lost in the lavender of his eyes, so peculiar and bottomless. The feel of his breath against her cheek, making goosebumps on her skin, the musky scent of his cologne, so intoxicating her toes curled inside her shoes. She breathed heavily when his nose touched her cheek and as he leaned closer, her eyes fluttered shut and–

"Sorry, for the long wait man. Here's your drinks."

Six tankards unceremoniously hit the hardwood in front of them, Tenten abruptly moved away from him, a curious sense of relief washing over her.

The man fished his wallet from his back pocket and gave the bartender his credit card before turning towards her standing form.

He looked at her pleasantly as if the past few minutes didn't happen. "I haven't had the pleasure of asking for your name?"

Tenten looked at him, his pale eyes, the aristocratic nose, the high cheekbones, and the muscly physique in the custom tailored suit, and all she could think was _what a complete dick._

So, with a smirk of her own, "I think your friends are impatient enough as it is."

She glanced at the previously noisy group, whom was looking at their coworker curiously and albeit antsy for their free alcohol. He seemed to notice the same.

Thus, with a shake of his head and a small smile on his face, "Touché," he said.

Giving him a two-fingered salute, Tenten shouldered her bag, ignored her wobbly legs and stepped out of the classy pub and into the cold winter air.

A brief glance at the pub's windows showed the man walking back to his group, two tankards at each hand, the other two followed behind him in the hands of one of his friends. He caught her eye and gave her the smallest of nods and the tiniest smirk.

All she could do was scoff and twitchingly roll her eyes.

Without a backwards glance, she headed towards her apartment, the cold January wind already sobering her up.

* * *

When she got to her apartment, took off her shoes, and closed the door behind her, her eyes automatically sought the open letter on the coffee table. Giving out a shaky breath, she mentally scolded her sheer pathetic and headed straight to her bedroom.

Without preamble, she slammed face first onto the soft but firm mattress, uncaring of the dirty clothes she wore or the make-up still on her face, she closed her eyes.

"Tadaima," she whispered before drifting to sleep.

In the furthest corner of her mind, a male voice had answered her.

_Okaeri._

* * *

**A/N: **_OMG. I can't believe the first chapter is done. This was such a long time in coming. A year, in fact! Hopefully, the difference in writing style is indiscernible. Otherwise, tell me!_

_HOW WAS IT?_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

_To Guest22, Guest and RainingTulips, thank you so much for reviewing the last chapter! I'm glad you liked it! _

* * *

Tenten wanted to swear off alcohol.

The words '_wanted to'_ were actually the key words here.

The weekend had come and past, and she was proud to say that she _did not,_ in fact, drink a drop of the addictive substance the whole weekend.

As a matter of fact, she was nothing if not productive the past two days. In trying to keep the letter out of sight, and out of mind, she buried it deep, _deep_ inside one of her living room draws along with other irrelevant papers and knick-knacks she could find.

Once that was done, she took one glance around her living room and decided that it really needs a nice clean up.

Her whole Saturday was spent vacuuming the carpets, throwing the accumulated glass bottles under her sink in the recycling bin, changing the sheets of her bed _and_ all of her curtains. Hell, she even _washed_ them by herself, along with this week's laundry, instead of sending them to the laundry shop.

Of course, what she meant by washing it herself was to go the laundromat and run the machine, read some random magazine and wait until the said machine is done doing the laundering for her. But hey, at least she was the one who folded it. Also, the laundromat was _a lot_ cheaper than the laundry shop.

By dinner, she cooked for the first time since the New Year, she realized drily. Chicken teriyaki and stir-fry rice.

She actually felt proud of herself for accomplishing the little things and this self-care stuff she'd been reading. A little too much actually. It seemed she cooked enough for three starving athletes who'd only had breakfast and no lunch.

Regardless though, she could almost say that she was beaming.

That is, until a knock came at her door.

"Hey, you're Tenten-san right?" said her surprise visitor.

He was a few inches taller than her, and he wore his hair in a spiky ponytail. He had a hand rubbing the back of his neck, and it seemed he had an RBF. A Resting Bored Face. Tenten recognized him as her next door neighbor who moved in just after the holidays.

"Yes, I am." She paused. "I'm sorry but I was never able to catch your name?"

A slightly sheepish look came upon the man in question and he dropped the hand on his nape. "Right, sorry. I'm Shikamaru, the new tenant from next door."

Tenten merely nodded and offered a small smile.

It was quickly wiped off however when he raised his other hand, a letter envelope enclosed in it. She was almost pleading that he wouldn't say the words.

"I think this went to my mailbox by mistake," he told her. "It came yesterday but I only noticed it now." He handed the letter to her.

She numbly accepted it with a slight nod, her head suddenly feeling heavy.

"Sorry 'bout that," Shikamaru said when she accepted the letter. He was saying something else but her attention was locked on the piece of paper clutched in her hands, already crinkling in the area where her fingers was pinching it.

Tenten was still nodding her head when a hand nudged her on the shoulder and she looked up to see said neighbor looking at her with his eye brows raised in question. And just as suddenly, as if cold water was poured unto her being, her mind finally snapped into place.

She quickly gave him a small bow. "Thank you for giving me the letter!" She said to him, and as an afterthought, she added, "And sorry for your trouble!"

Shikamaru waved her off, his expression slacking again into that perpetual bored look. "No problem," he said. "I'll keep you posted if ever your mail wanders into my mailbox again."

"Right, thanks again!"

He nodded at her.

Tenten was about to close the door when she caught him muttering to himself, "Who the hell even writes letters anymore?" And the slam of his door closing echoed in the otherwise empty hallway.

Tenten sighed, _who indeed?_

Tenten was exhausted come Monday morning. She barely slept Saturday night when she received yet _another _letter, which made her sleep almost all of Sunday, which of course, means that she barely slept a wink when nightfall came.

Seriously, _he's such a dimwit,_ Tenten couldn't help thinking. Couldn't he see that she didn't want to talk?

The moment the thought made itself known however, her insides became queasy and a heavy feeling settled itself on her stomach. Tenten mostly associated the feeling with a certain emotion – _guilt_.

* * *

The train halted and Tenten frantically checked whether or not she missed her stop in her inattention.

She was glad to find that there was still one station left before it was her time to get off the train.

On the other hand, new passengers were boarding and in no time, Tenten found herself being pushed farther away from the door and squeezed in with other people, shoulders and backs rubbing against her own creating unnecessary friction and a lot of heat in the humid train.

Really, she shouldn't be sweating so much in the middle of January. She should also just opt for a car if she's so uncomfortable in public transportation, her generous salary can surely afford one.

If only, you know, she _knows how to drive, _Tenten scowled at the thought. And while driving school was an option, and not at all something to be embarrassed about, it wasn't worth the cost. At least for her frugal self. Also, it wasn't like she wasn't used to it. It was, after all, her mode of transportation since her high school days, when she was still living with –

The train jerked to a halt and Tenten looked up to see that she almost missed her stop. With a lot of shoving and elbowing, she made her way out of the confined, suffocating space of the transit.

Tenten inhaled and welcomed the cold January air. Call her dramatic or immature, but she was starting to get the feeling that she's outgrowing public transportation and commuting, in general.

_Yes_, driving lessons and her own car sounded _divine_, she thought even as a yawn escaped her lips and her sleepiness made itself known. She made a mental note to stop by a nearby café before going inside her office building.

* * *

"Miss Tenten!" Moegi, her jubilant secretary, exclaimed. "What's gotten you in a sour mood this early in the morning?"

Tenten scowled even more as she almost barked out the recollections of her planned coffee excursion.

_She wasn't much fond of coffee giants – it was unreasonably pricey and she wasn't one to indulge in them for social media's sake so what's the point really – but laziness calls for the easiest and most immediate of solutions, a wise woman named Tenten once said._

_Whereas she would usually partake in the coziness and homey feeling of the family-owned coffee and pastry shop further down the street, her body needed caffeinating and not to mention she was running late. Although being the department head certainly gave her _a lot_ of leeway in terms of log-ins and tardiness, she didn't want to set a bad example for her subordinates. _

_And anyways, what were big-name coffee brands for if not for their convenient locations, right?_

_Such thoughts were occupying her mind as she silently willed the barista to hasten in making her chosen beverage. _

"_I'm starting to think Friday night wasn't because of the alcohol," someone said from beside her. "You still look beautiful and sad even in day light."_

_She looked at him with furrowed brows, her frown deepening. She opened her mouth to say something when the man suddenly moved at least two feet away from her, his forearms raised in mock surrender. _

"_Right," he said in a way that she found to be quite arrogant. "Personal bubble or black hole, right?" He ended with a smug expression topped with a smirk. It made a vein throb in her head, it was too early for this douchebaggery. _

"_Do I know you?" she snapped at him. _

_Well, that removed all traces of haughtiness in his face, Tenten noted with satisfaction. Although, he _did_ seem familiar, she just couldn't put her mind to it. Honestly, those lavender eyes should be hard to forget but she was coming up with a blank. _

_He looked to be annoyed at first, but he settled for mock-hurt instead. "You wound me," he put his hands over his chest, where his heart was supposed to be. "Here I thought our philosophical discussion about personal spaces left quite a memorable first impression." _

What the hell is he babbling about?_ Tenten couldn't help but think. _

_Seeing the confusion in her face, the man added as an afterthought, "You even had a Venn diagram and everything." _

"_Oh?" Tenten asked. Then suddenly, drunken memories of her bag spilling on the floor, a pen in her shaky hand and writing on the delicate tissue paper, and having this man's face unbearably close to hers, became vividly clear. _

Oh, _she thought._

_The look on his face just showed that he knew that she remembered. And she remembered alright. The familiar feeling of wanting the ground to swallow her whole was difficult to forget. _

_Well, he's handsome, even more it seemed, in day light. But she wasn't going to tell him that. _

_When it became obvious that she had no intention of reliving the experience with him, or even paying him any attention at all, he took it upon himself to continue the conversation. _

"_Do you work near here?" he asked, gesturing to the corporate jungle outside. _

"_Yes," she replied tersely. The man just hummed in return whilst nodding in acknowledgement. He returned his attention towards the barista who was taking a long time with their coffee. Tenten did the same. _

_An uncomfortable silence swallowed the both of them and the strength in which she willed the coffee with her name on it to appear intensified. _

_This is what she hates about small talk. Once it disappears, the atmosphere becomes awkward and a nagging feeling inside her wanted to say something, if only to break the tension. _

_But she won't. She didn't want to continue this conversation. As a matter of fact she–_

"_How about you?" Damn herself for being weak. _

_He smiled at her, appreciating that she spoke in return. "Yes, well." He appeared to be in thought and curse herself even more if she thought that he looked even more attractive when he smiled. _

"_Actually," he started, breaking her from her stare but he didn't seem to notice. Or if he did, he finally learned his lesson that being a jerk about it will make him even more of an asshole. If that made sense. Where in her boss' name was her damn coffee?_

"_My friend is the one who works near here," he said, and a smirk made its appearance on his lips. "But I'm two bus stops away, if you're interested."_

"So this guy was the same one who hit on you Friday night?" Moegi asked, and giving it further thought.

"You went _drinking_ _by yourself_ Friday night?" She realized belatedly. "I thought you went straight home?"

Tenten wanted to glare at the girl for her insolence but couldn't bring herself to as it was only out of worry for her well-being.

"Yes, I believe I'm allowed to change my mind about how I spend my evenings, isn't that right Moegi?" She told the secretary instead, an eye brow raised, daring her to argue.

Although Moegi seemed to be cowed, she didn't appear to be less indignant, if that made sense. "Yes, of course. But still, you need to inform at least _someone_ of your plans," she dared admonished.

Tenten was about to retort but Moegi beat her to it, "Like, you can tell me, you know," she said, her words sincere that Tenten couldn't say anything. And at the very least, felt slightly awkward about it.

"Or you know, the Big Boss seems to care enough to know your whereabouts," Moegi teased with a smile and a jab to her side.

"Don't even go there," she nearly groaned out. She would have given the woman the middle finger if it weren't so unprofessional.

"If it weren't for the boss being so openly gay, I would have thought that he had a thing for you," the secretary laughed softly. "How did you even get so close to him?" she asked. "Besides, you know, work?"

"Let's just say we have a mutual friend," she said offhandedly. "Anyways, we're not even talking about him."

"_Right_, we were talking about Mr. Long Hair from your Friday Night affairs."

"I'd hardly call it that."

"And I'm a brunette," Moegi quipped.

Tenten rolled her eyes at the younger woman, "Stop romanticizing everything."

Moegi looked to be excited as she clasped her hands together and her eyes twinkled as she squealed, "Oh! But this is the first time I've heard you talk about a guy, Miss Tenten! You don't go out on dates and you don't have a boyfriend!"

Sipping her much anticipated coffee, Tenten sardonically said, "Please, you're just saying that because you just went on a date."

"And what a wonderful date it was!" Moegi gushed.

When her secretary finished talking about her own Friday Night affairs, thoughts of the long haired man were gone as she proceeded to her office and started the work for the day.

* * *

Closing her laptop, Tenten rotated her neck and almost moaned when a satisfying sound of bone popping into place filled the otherwise silent office. Just in time too, as a short rap came from the door and, without her permission, Moegi came inside.

"Miss Tenten, its lunch time. You wanna go eat out or order in?"

Tenten glanced at the cherry wood of her desk, or what she could see from the pieces of paper littering every inch of the surface. Tenten fought back a wince.

It had been a very busy morning. Papers and files kept coming in and out of her office, the telephone on her desk never seemed to stop blinking and her email was flooded with a deluge of requests and partnership deals. It took a great amount of will power to just slam her laptop shut and cry for a few minutes.

Of course she didn't, because she was a professional and she couldn't allow her subordinates to see her have a mental breakdown.

_And thinking about it,_ Tenten mused, _I'm way past beyond that point anyway._ She wanted to pat herself on the back for keeping cool.

"Miss Tenten?"

Tenten settled for massaging her head instead and smiled at Moegi.

"I think we ought to eat out," she said. "We had a hectic morning, an hour break from this place seems like a good idea."

Moegi chuckled as she nodded in agreement, "Never heard of a truer statement in my life. Want me to invite the others?"

A part of her didn't want to interact with others, stating she was too tired and she didn't have the mental capacity to do so. But the other part, the reasonable one, kept saying it was good for team morale to eat together after such a tiresome morning.

"Sure," Tenten said, _no question there_, she supposes.

Tenten knew she made the right choice when Moegi beamed.

"Awesome!" Moegi exclaimed. "I assume we're having Chinese?"

"Of course," Tenten answered and waved Moegi off. "But you guys go on ahead, I need to organize my desk first." She gestured towards the mess around her laptop.

"Got it," Moegi simply nodded, already reaching for her work phone and dialing the Chinese restaurant they frequented.

How her secretary always managed to reserve tables big enough for their team to occupy on such short notice was beyond her.

* * *

Ten minutes have passed when Tenten was finally out of her office and into the elevator. She went down two floors when the elevator stopped and opened its doors again.

A group from the IT department came in, a few gave her nods of acknowledgement and a couple of greetings but they mostly ignored her. That is, until an arm wound its way on her shoulder and enveloped her in a side, and no less bone crushing, hug.

"Lee!" Tenten squirmed in the crowded elevator, to the amusement of the other occupants.

"Tenten, I feel like I never see you at all! You don't visit me much and I'm just one floor down!"

Rock Lee, the Training and Development Manager of the company, and also the reason why Tenten always had an adverse reaction to their company outings and team building activities, because it was almost always Lee who was in charge of everything.

While Lee was hardworking and his antics usually _did_ show results, his eccentricity was just too much for her sometimes. The part where he's from the HR department and seems to take his job seriously in regards to ensuring every employee is satisfied and well taken care of to the point of _nosy_, was just the cherry on top.

Not to mention, he was Tenten's self-proclaimed best friend.

Tenten just sighed and waited for him to loosen the embrace. "We had a busy morning and I seem to remember eating lunch with you in the pantry last Thursday."

Lee released her from her arms and leaned back on the elevator walls, looking at the numbers going down, signifying their descent.

"Well, _yeah_," he said stupidly, in Tenten's opinion. "But the weekend passed with not one word from you at all! I was texting you and everything."

She _had _ignored him the entire weekend in favor of making herself busy. It wasn't the first time either. Now Tenten just felt guilty.

Before she could open her mouth though, Lee already beat her to it. "It's okay though, not like I'm pressuring you or anything!"

Lee flashed her a mega-watt smile and Tenten just felt her heart melt at his understanding and the things he left unsaid.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Tenten said offhandedly, "but thanks, I felt like I needed that."

Lee flashed her a smile and gave her a thumbs up and Tenten wanted to roll her eyes. She didn't though.

"I haven't been completely ignoring you," she said jokingly, "I read all two hundred of your texts."

"How unyouthful. It was _three_ hundred!" Lee was quick to point out with an exaggerated wink and this time Tenten _did_ roll her eyes at him but she felt her mouth quirk the slightest bit.

"Whatever," she said as she gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "How's your new car by the way? Seems it's all you've been texting me about the whole weekend."

Like she flipped on a switch, Lee erupted like a volcano with excited jitters.

"I'm so GLAD you asked!" Lee exclaimed and Tenten felt regret wash over her as his loud voice resonated inside the small space. Good thing Lee was from HR, no one would dare antagonize him (an inside joke) but she could feel the annoyed expressions directed at them for the loud disturbance.

Lee was as thick headed as ever.

"I finally finished with the bank transfers and paperwork last Saturday!" He cried out. "I was supposed to pick it up from my dealer yesterday but I was unfortunately out of town. So I asked a friend of mine to get it for me instead."

"I'm going to meet up with him after work to get my new ride," Lee beamed at her and he looked at her as if, god forbid, an idea crossed his mind and she felt dread build up in her stomach. _Oh no. No. NO. _

"You should come with me!"

At that exact moment, the elevator doors opened.

* * *

"On the agenda tomorrow, you have a meeting with the department heads after lunch. The Big Man himself wants to speak with you as well, he didn't say what for but to schedule him anyways. You also need to confirm if you will go to the R&D convention in two weeks…" Moegi was prattling on and on about her schedule for tomorrow but Tenten already tuned her out.

Her eyes were dead set on the analogue clock she had on her wall, following the hand counting the seconds until Rock Lee would come barge in her office.

It read 4:58, and knowing Lee and his excitement, he would clock out at exactly five. It would take less than a minute for him to go from his cubicle to the elevator, but since he would fetch her in her office, Lee would probably take the stairs going up, which take about a minute or less. It takes another minute to get from the stairs to her office, so from her deductions Lee would get here at about 5:02, give or ta–

_Knock. Knock. _

_Drats,_ Tenten mentally cursed. She glanced at the clock, it was exactly five in the afternoon.

Moegi glanced at her inquiringly, raising an eyebrow. Releasing a short breath, Tenten gestured for her to open the door.

"Are you ready Tenten?"

Well, Lee really wasn't one to disappoint.

"Leaving already, Ms. Tenten?"

Moegi as well, Tenten thought, giving her secretary the eye as the girl looked genuinely, if not mockingly, surprised.

"Yes, shocking isn't it?" huffed Tenten as she stood up and shouldered her bag. Going around the table, she patted Moegi on the shoulder and said, "Can you just send me the time table for the next two days in an email? I don't really understand why you have the need to debrief me at the end of the day."

Moegi rolled her eyes.

"When have you ever checked your emails at home?" quipped Moegi.

"You know, if you weren't so efficient, I'd file a report against you by now for insubordination," admonished Tenten with a smile. "I have a _really_ close friend in HR."

"Right Lee?" she flashed a smile towards the man in question.

Lee returned her smile with his beaming one. "That can be arranged," supported Lee, giving his signature thumbs-up for emphasis.

Moegi's cheeks redden and Tenten felt her become flustered as the secretary shook her head.

"You wouldn't. You can't get anything done without me and you know it!"

Tenten chuckled as she went pass the girl. Moegi was always fun to tease, mainly because she never failed to fight back.

"Do I?" she questioned sardonically.

Moegi pouted at her and crossed her arms, making Tenten laugh.

"Oh calm down. Don't get your panties in a twist. We wouldn't do that, right?"

Lee nodded his head.

"It would be unyouthful, not to mention unethical, to do so," Lee added as an afterthought.

The secretary simply rolled her eyes. "I stake my claim, you won't survive without me."

"Don't tempt me," Tenten joked, closing her office door behind her with the satisfying _click_ locking it into place.

Moegi stuck out her tongue and ducked into her own cubicle, preparing her own stuff to leave.

"We better hurry, Tenten. We don't want to keep my new car waiting!" Lee practically bounced on his heels, hooking his arm with hers and enthusiastically waved goodbye to Moegi. "Bye Moegi-san! See you tomorrow!"

Before Tenten could even say a proper farewell, Lee already dragged her towards the elevator, her subordinates' passing glances and greetings cut short as the two whisked passed them.

"Christ Lee, slow down," Tenten admonished, sighing in relief when they finally stopped near the elevators. Taking the opportunity, she snatched her arm out of his grip.

"Where are we gonna meet this new car anyways?" she asked, stretching her arm and rotating it since Lee took the liberty to pull it out of its socket. "And who will be taking it there?"

Lee checked his phone, swiping the menu as he looked for the messaging icon amongst the clutter that is his phone's menu screen.

"He said to meet at this fancy café and restaurant uptown. Just two bus stops away, get dinner while we're at it as well."

"Isn't it too early for dinner? It's barely even five yet." Heaven's forbid, she was not _whining_. It was just so out of the blue and unplanned that it made her want to go straight home even more.

Plus, a feeling of dread was nagging her at the back of her mind and she didn't know what. It sounded like bad news and she knew it. She wanted it over as quickly as possible.

Lee of course, had other plans.

"There's no such thing as too early for a meal," Lee waved her off. "Besides, I haven't been able to talk with my friend for a while, I sorely missed him. I'm sure he feels the same. And," Tenten was surprised when he looked pointedly at her.

"You need friends Tenten! You're too cooped up in your office and in your apartment, you need to go out more."

_Oh there we go again,_ Tenten thought. It was not the first the subject was broached, nor would it be the last. Normally, she would just shrug it off and let it pass, since it was just Lee being, well, Lee.

But right then, she was annoyed that she was being dragged into Lee's errands when she just wanted to go home. She was not going to get lectured through all of it.

So, oddly defensive as they entered the cramped elevator, she crossed her arms and said to Lee in a lowered voice, "No I don't need to 'go out' more, and I do _so_ have friends!"

Lee was still on his phone when he retorted, "Oh yeah, who?"

Tenten opened her mouth to give Lee a list of names when he cut her off.

"Moegi or anyone from work does not count. Even yours truly," he added, still typing on his phone.

Tenten promptly closed her mouth and ducked her chin, hands burying deeper into her crossed arms as she glared at him from the corner of her eye.

She was still sulking when they stopped at a floor and made space for the new boarders before they descended again.

The elevator chimed as they were finally in the ground floor, just as a name popped in her head.

"Shikamaru!" Lee looked at her confused, phone in his pocket. Never mind that Lee's taunts were five minutes ago, she had a name on her mind and she's not gonna let it go.

"What?"

"I mean Shikamaru, my new next door neighbor," she said matter-of-factly. "He just moved in after the New Year and we've become _such _good friends since!"

"Right," Lee nodded, smile on his face and actually pleased that she was meeting new people. "That's splendid! What's his last name?"

"His last name, uh," Tenten stumbled a bit as they were walking towards the bus stop. "Yeah, he has a last name," she said for a lack of words. Tenten winced at that.

Lee's expectant look morphed into a knowing smile making her grimace.

_Dammit._

The bus arrived at the stop and they boarded. Despite the few vacant chairs here and there, Lee and Tenten opted to stand up for the ride.

And all the while, Lee still had that smile on his face that told her he was up to no good.

"Since you're _such_ close friends," Lee exacerbated. Tenten groaned but he didn't seem to mind.

"Surely, you can ask for his last name and tell me, hmm," Lee pretended to think about it, "the day after tomorrow?"

Exhausted of Lee's plotting to improve her well-being, but also wanting this conversation to be over with, Tenten just rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she mumbled under her breath and Lee took it as affirmation, which it wasn't.

The rest of the ride passed as Lee kept talking and talking about the features of his new car, its engine, the leather seats, _and oh Tenten, it can go from zero to a hundred in just 3.5 seconds!_

If she wasn't already aware that Lee was a speed maniac, she would never have agreed to come meet his death trap.

But to be honest, she'd always wanted to ride a sports car.

"It's not exactly a sports _car_, more of a sports _sedan_," Lee was quick to correct.

"Oh sorry. I meant I've _always always_ wanted to ride a sports _sedan_," Tenten snarked, sarcasm dripping off her tongue.

"Oh don't be a sourpuss Tenten, I'll drive you home today so you can tick that off your bucket list."

Annoyance gone, Tenten embarrassingly squealed as she grabbed at his shoulder, "Really?"

Lee nodded his head, "As thank you for coming with me today." He winked at her and gave her his signature thumbs up pose and beaming smile.

Well, she certainly couldn't stop the grin on her face. "You're the best Lee!"

But then a thought occurred to her, even better than riding the car, "Can _I _drive it instead?"

"As much as I love you Tenten, I'm not ready to let go of my new car just yet and knowing you...," Lee trailed off, earning him a pinch on the side.

* * *

When they arrived at the place, it was more café than restaurant, she was quick to notice. Lee asked her to get them a table while he ordered. Moving to get her wallet from her bag, Lee shook his head and stopped her.

"It's on me," he said.

With a shrug of her shoulders, she merely asked for a Caramel Macchiato and a club sandwich and left him on the line.

The café wasn't as full as she thought it would be, and she was quick to spot a four seater table near the windows.

_Who knows, I might even see his car before he does_, Tenten thought as she sat down.

Looking out the window, Tenten observed as people went and gone. Used to dining alone, there was a comfort to be found in observing other people interact with each other. Some people go in big groups, there were those who were only as big as three people, a smattering of couples here and there, and on some occasions, another lone wolf such as herself.

_I hear your doing great at work. I'm just sad, and a bit annoyed really, that I didn't hear it from you._

Oh gods. Stop her line of thought. Tenten placed both her arms on the table and buried her head in it.

_Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it._

From the far recesses of her consciousness, she heard Lee's loud greeting. His friend had arrived it seemed, but Tenten was too preoccupied to care.

_Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it._

Eyes still closed, Tenten sat upright and did a short breathing exercise to clear her mind.

By the first breath, the muscles on her forehead had relaxed. By the third one, the tension on her shoulders was released. By the fifth, her mind was blank and she could appreciate the comforting aroma of coffee in the air.

By the seventh breath, an image had formed in her mind. Pale eyes, long hair, smirk. The man from Friday night, and this morning.

_Oh gods no don't think about him! _

_Come on_, she could do less with embarrassing thoughts, she pleaded.

The sound of chair scraping on tile told her that Lee was already seated in front of her.

She opened her eyes and _JESUS FUCKING CHRIST._

Pale eyes. Long hair.

"Well."

Tenten's eye twitched at that smirk.

A hand landed a few scant centimeters near her own. Her pinky twitched and if possible, his smirk only widened at the involuntary action.

"If this isn't fate, I don't know what is."

_Motherfucker. Kill her now._

* * *

_A/N: I hope you liked that last part HAHAHA._


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